Skier triggered avalanche on Proletariat-Tamarack Peak

Location Name: 
Tamarack Peak
Region: 
Mount Rose Area
Observation Date & Time: 
Saturday, March 17, 2018 - 03:30
Location: 
39.316613, -119.917767
See map: CalTopo
Is this an Avalanche Observation?: 
Yes


Conditions Alerts:

  • Avalanche Activity
  • Recent Loading

Terrain Alerts: 
Slopes Steeper than 30 degrees
Obvious Slide Path
Trigger Points
Observation made by: Public

Tabs

Observation
Description of Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions: 

See this observation for a crown profile from a few days later.

This slide was triggered by the 7th person to ski the slope. The person was carried by the avalanche and lost skis and poles. When the slide stopped moving the person ended up only partially buried and was able to self-rescue. The person later returned and found their gear.

Hide Avalanche Details
Avalanche Type: 
Storm Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
Additional number of similar avalanches: 
4
Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
Skier
Trigger Modifier: 
Accidentally Triggered
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
38degrees
Aspect: 
East
Starting Elevation: 
near-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.
Relative Size: 
R3 Medium
Crown Height: 
3 ft
Avalanche Width (Average width): 
200ft.
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
300ft.
Hide People Involved
Number of people caught: 
1
Number of partial burials: 
1
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